Work a Day Job? Here’s How to Burn an Extra 300 Calories a Day

If you work a regular 9-to-5 job, you know how sedentary your life can become. Even if you’re working out every morning, taking the stairs in the office, and parking your car way far away in the company lot, you’re still probably not locking in your 10,000 steps a day.

Even the fittest people, like our founder Bianca, find that when work becomes brutally busy their health suffers. The cure? Finding small ways all day long to stay healthy and improve fitness. Keep scrolling to see how to burn extra calories and boost your wellness all workday long.

Duh, you already know that sitting is the new smoking, so you’ve likely already thought about pulling the trigger and getting a standing desk. But did you know that researchers believe the biggest benefit of a standing desk is not actually standing for your entire 8-hour work day, but alternating between sitting and standing all day long? Ideally, you’ll change position a few times an hour.

Instead of buying an expensive, bulky standing desk, convince your employer to purchase an on-desk hutch. That way you can easily adjust from sitting to standing every 30- to 45-minutes. The difference in caloric expenditure between sitting and standing is negligible, but constantly moving your body positioning will likely increase your caloric burn by at least 150 calories per day.

Use a reusable water bottle

This one is a bit of a trick, but we’re into it. First off, staying hydrated is key to keeping your metabolism at its optimal rate. In adults, resting energy expenditure has been shown to increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water. Drinking an extra 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water a day has been linked to 23 more calories burned. On a yearly basis, that sums up to roughly 17,000 calories—or over 4 pounds of fat.

So, keep your water bottle on your desk and refill it regularly. We love bottles from brands like Corcsicle or Cheeky because they come in cute colors and they work incredibly well!

Image: Unsplash

Drink two cups of coffee

OK, maybe not two cups. But definitely enjoy a least one cup of joe—the 108-135 mg of caffeine in coffee can increase metabolic rate by up to 10 percent. Just make sure you keep it pure with just a touch of cream, because loading up your coffee with tons of milk and sugar will offset the calorie-burning benefits of caffeine.

Take walking meetings and phone calls

Sounds brutally obvious, but the more you can get moving throughout the day the more likely you’ll burn more calories. Steal a page from Steve Jobs’ handbook and schedule yourself for outdoor walking meetings. Not only will you get your heart pumping, but you’ll also get a dose of mood-boosting vitamin D.